CWA issues heat alerts for Thursday, warns of afternoon thunderstorms

Taipei, June 25 (CNA) The Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for several areas across Taiwan, warning of temperatures around 36 degrees Celsius on Thursday and possible prolonged afternoon thunderstorms until Friday.

According to the heat alerts issued at 6:29 p.m. Wednesday, the CWA issued an orange alert for Taipei, New Taipei, Changhua County, Yunlin County, Tainan and Kaohsiung, indicating daily maximum temperatures hitting 36 degrees for three consecutive days.

In New Taipei, the area of Quchi in Xindian District recorded highs of 37.4 degrees on both Monday and Tuesday, and 36.6 degrees on Wednesday, CWA data showed.

The temperatures in Quchi on Monday and Wednesday were both the day's highest in Taiwan.

The CWA also cautioned temperatures are set to hit 36 degrees in Pingtung and Hualien counties with a yellow alert issued. Guangfu Township in Hualien also recorded the day's high of 36.6 degrees on Wednesday.

Hot weather is forecast around Taiwan and its outlying counties for the next seven days, with partly clear to partly cloudy skies, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) told CNA Wednesday afternoon.

Daytime highs in Taiwan, Kinmen and Penghu are likely to reach 32-35 degrees, and 31 degrees in the Matsu Islands, according to the CWA forecast.

Huang also cautioned about possible prolonged afternoon thunderstorms on Thursday and Friday, as well as heavy rainfall in southern Taiwan and mountainous areas in central and northern areas of the country.

At 2:10 p.m. on Wednesday the CWA issued a heavy rain advisory for western Taiwan, from Keelung in the north to Pingtung in the south into the night, only Hsinchu City was excluded.

It warned of lightning, sudden surges in river water levels, falling rocks or floods that could be caused by heavy rain -- 24-hour accumulated rainfall of more than 80 millimeters or 1-hour of rainfall exceeding 40 mm.